Rebels in eastern Ukraine appear to be successfully closing in on the government-held airport of Donetsk, a strategic victory for the pro-Russian separatists that further undermines a shaky cease-fire in the region. At least 10 people were killed on Wednesday when shells hit a school playground and a mini van in a nearby street in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, city authorities and Reuters witnesses said.
Developments in Ukraine - Wednesday, October 1, 2014
![A view of a classroom of school No. 57 damaged by recent shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/36DCCF7D-8350-45F0-BCCC-1FCFA1BC31DD_cx0_cy6_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
1
A view of a classroom of school No. 57 damaged by recent shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.
![A local woman cries in front of a damaged school after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/0AB9E390-F7D6-4AAD-B574-433C0D1A41C0_cx0_cy4_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
2
A local woman cries in front of a damaged school after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.
![Parents and a pupil hide in a school basement used as a shelter after recent shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/F96EC697-A5F0-4A38-BFA3-71E1B25FB46C_cx0_cy9_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
3
Parents and a pupil hide in a school basement used as a shelter after recent shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.
![Smoke rises over a residential neighborhood near the airport after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/0F52DA2E-6EF3-4A3F-B08D-25E32293992F_cx0_cy4_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
5
Smoke rises over a residential neighborhood near the airport after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.